Wayward Warrior
by shadowreploid
Summary: TPverse. Ganondorf escapes the ending blow through a strange, glowing portal. Link follows his rival, and is thrust into an adventure spanning continents and centuries. R&R please! ON HIATUS
1. Down the Rabbit Hole

A/N: Alright, it's finally up! I've trying to finish this chapter up for a bit. This is my first fanfic, btw, so please, no flames. Constructive criticism most certainly welcome, though. R&R, please!

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters featured in this story. Yet. A couple of OC's may make appeareances, Idk.

**Wayward Warrior**

Chapter 1: Down the Rabbit Hole

by: shadowreploid

As the Hero of Time gazed upon the prone form of the Dark Lord, he knew that he should feel elation that the tyrant's reign was over. Instead, all he felt was a bone-deep weariness. _So much loss, so much suffering_, he mused as he prepared to strike. _All because of this monster's selfish desires. Well, time to end this..._ He leapt forward, Blade of Evil's Bane in hand. Link closed his eyes as he-WHAM!

"What the hell!" Link cried as he got up off the ground. He glared at Ganondorf, who had gotten back on his feet and was now smirking at the hero's confusion.

"What's the matter, _boy_?" the villain sneered. "Did you really think that it would be that easy?" As he spoke, the crimson-haired tyrant waved his hand, dispelling the golden barrier that had surrounded them throughout the fight. Princess Zelda, on Link's loyal horse, Epona, was in far closer proximity to Ganondorf than Link had realized. Before he could act, the murderer seized Zelda off of Epona.

"Fool! This was just the beginning! Soon, all the multiverse shall tremble before me!" Ganondorf yelled. Even as Link leapt to attack him, the Gerudo king summoned his blood-red blade with his free hand. He held the blade of darkness up, then brought it down forcefully. Where the sword traveled, it seemed to rip through the very air. A shockwave pulsed from the tear, knocking Link to the ground. Ganondorf roared with demented laughter. "Follow me, if you dare!" With Zelda struggling under his left arm, he walked _into_ the rip in space.

Link struggled to his feet. He had not even heard most of what Ganondorf had said. All he saw was the reason why he would never be able to go home again escaping his blade. With a mindless cry of rage, he charged into the hole, Epona close behind him.

It was the most bizarre thing he had ever experienced, and considering some of the things he'd seen while traveling Hyrule, that was saying something. It was as though he was flying forward at great speed, down a dark tunnel that was streaked with red and blue. Then, he saw a light rapidly approaching him. Before he could even brace himself, he was out of the tunnel. He flew through the air, his flight only eventually arrested by the immutable laws of gravity...and a rock.

"Ow!" Link muttered as he rose to his feet, rubbing the bump on his head. "What is it with me and hitting the dirt recently, anyway? Hey, what's that sound..."His voice trailed off at the sight laid out on the vast plain below him.

There seemed to be two sides to the conflict. The side on Link's left looked organized and well-trained, with ranks of soldiers marching forward to combat, their carmine banners waving in the breeze.

The group on his right, by comparison, looked absolutely ragged. They looked careworn and tired, their weapons dragging in the dust. The only thing that seemed to be keeping them from just surrendering was a figure standing near the forefront of their ranks. Although Link couldn't tell for sure, it looked like the figure was doing its best to encourage its companions.

Gazing about, Link realized that what at first he had taken to be scavenger birds, appeared to be winged horses or dragons! What was more, they seemed to have riders! As he started to take out his Hawkeye to get a better look at the strange creatures, he heard an explosive TWANG! It was not unlike the sound of his bowstring when he launched an arrow, only much louder.

Almost immediately, one of the flying creatures over the ragtag group jerked and began to fall to the ground. Focusing the Hawkeye on the plummeting creature, Link realized, to his surprise, that the beast had indeed bore a rider. From what he could see, it looked to be a young woman. Her mount somehow managed to maneuver underneath her, cushioning her landing. However, the duo still crashed in the region between the two armies.

His attention firmly on the crash landing, Link was surprised by a monstrous roar from the red garbed side. Swinging his head towards the noise, he saw a massive red dragon rearing up over the human army.

"Where the heck did THAT come from?" he wondered. Suddenly, the beast dropped to the ground and began to charge towards the base of the hill, where the girl lay, unmoving. The ragtag leader (or so Link dubbed him in his own mind) started forward as well, though it was easy for Link to see that the young man could not beat the dragon to the damsel.

He quickly examined the ground before him. About four feet away, the hill sloped sharply downward to where the girl was just starting to stir. Looking at the drop, Link grimaced.

"Dammit! **I** can't get there in time, either!" Glaring at the rocky ground before him, he found his eyes being drawn by the white of the dead winged horse. "White...white...snow! The yetis and their strange fascination with sledding! But what can I..." His voice trailed off as he realized that he still had the Master Sword and his shield drawn. He looked at the shield. "Well, I don't have any better ideas, so...here I goooo!" Flinging his shield onto the ground before him, Link jumped on and started sliding downhill rapidly.

"Ack! Whoa, big boulder!" he cried out. Looking ahead, he saw that, despite his best efforts, the dragon had still beaten him to the prize.

The behemoth reared up over the young woman, who was struggling to move. A broken leg, however, kept her trapped. Flames started to flicker from the monster's nostrils. The leader was still too far away to do anything.

Distracted by the tableau before him, Link forgot to watch where he was headed. Suddenly, the hero found himself air-born, his shield flying through the air below him...straight into the dragon's gaping mouth.

The creature looked perplexed for a moment, until it realized that it couldn't expel the combustible gas it had built up. Upon realizing that rather disturbing fact, it panicked. It reared up even more...enabling Link to land right on its face.

Link suddenly found himself face to eyeball with an extremely irritated dragon. "Um, hi?" he said tentatively.

The dragon, needless to say, was NOT amused. Growling as best it could with a shield in its throat, it began thrashing about, trying to get the crazy guy off of its face. Link gripped the scaly maw with all his might. Without warning, the beast dropped to all fours and raced away from the hillside.

"What the heck?" Link said. Looking over his shoulder, he saw, rapidly approaching, what appeared to be a rather deep canyon. "Ah, _crap_!" he yelled as he released his death grip on the dragon's face. He started to run down the length of the sinuous body, but too late. Just as he reached the base of the tail, he felt the sudden tug of gravity. They were over the edge.

Thinking quickly, Link drew one of his Clawshots. "Well, hope this works..." he muttered as he fired the grappling device at the cliff in front of him. For the first time that day, it seemed that the goddesses were listening after all. The claw dug into the cliff face, causing the chain to snap tautly and arrest his freefall down to the rocky bottom.

The dragon, however, was not so lucky. It failed to catch enough wind with its wings to arrest its descent, which ended with a sickening CRUNCH!

While he was catching his breath, Link heard a rush of wind behind him. Turning around as best he could, he saw another one of the strange flying mounts. It looked like a smaller, bluish version of the dragon. In the beast's saddle was a red-haired young woman, clad in armor that matched her hair's fiery color. She was gripping the reins of her mount with one hand, while reaching out to him with the other.

"Well, do you want some help, or do you want to wait until they summon another Manakete to the battlefield?" she snapped at Link.

A look of confusion passed over his features. "What in the name of the Sacred Realm is a Manakete?" he queried.

The girl looked at him like he was an idiot. "Did you hit your head or something?" Before he could respond, she continued. "Argh, it doesn't matter right now! Do you want help, or not?"

Link gazed at her, a bemused look on his face. "Do you really think you can pull me up behind you?" Quickly continuing, he said "How about you bring that...thing up underneath me? It'd be a lot less risky, at least for you."

She grimaced. "Fine. Hang on!" As she took her mount into a slight dive, Link shook his head.

"Already doing that, thank you very mu-whoa!" The impact from the creature coming up underneath him caused him to accidentally hit the release for the Clawshot. After retracting the chain, he grabbed hold of her waist. At that, she stiffened, but didn't tell him to let go, so Link figured he was good for the moment. They cleared the top of the cliff, the sight before him causing Link's jaw to drop from the sheer strangeness.

The red-armored side was retreating! They were pulling back in a panic, and, as Link strained to hear any indication of why they were fleeing despite their clear advantage, he heard shouts of "Run away!" "The General is dead!" "Flee!"

"What in Din's name are they talking about?" he asked the girl. "It doesn't look like anyone's fought here yet, so where's the deceased 'general'? Only thing that's dead is that stupid dragon."

She looked back over her shoulder and replied, "That dragon WAS their general. All of Dolhr's armies are now led by the Manaketes." The warrior-woman directed her mount toward the ragtag group.

"That's the second time you've used that word-Manakete. What does it mean?" Link asked. She looked back at him in shock, then, when she realized that he was serious, responded.

"A Manakete is a fairly normal looking person who, with the use of a dragonstone, becomes a dragon. The vast majority follow the Shadow Dragon, Medeus. There were two that aided us in our fight against him, but Bantu fell in combat just three days ago. Tiki has still not fully recovered from the loss, so at the moment, we must fight them ourselves." They landed as she finished speaking.

Link was quickly approached by the one whom he had taken to be the leader. He was a young man, about Link's age and height. He had blue hair and eyes, and a careworn look.

He extended his hand to Link. "I am Marth, Prince of Altea, and leader of those who seek to defy Dolhr. Thank you for saving Caeda." Link looked at the young man, shrugged, and took Marth's hand in a firm grip and shook.

After releasing the prince's hand, he replied "I'm Link, and you're welcome, but other than that, I have no clue what you're talking about."

Marth looked at him in shock for a moment, but he quickly recovered. "Maria!" he yelled.

Almost immediately, a young girl, who looked so much like Link's rescuer that they had to be sisters, came running.

"Yes, Marth?" she asked brightly. Marth pointed at Link.

"Please check him for head injuries. He seems to be suffering from memory loss." The little redhead nodded and moved forward, only to stop as Link erupted.

"For the love of the goddesses! I do NOT have a concussion, or anything like that! Could someone, who, by the way, is NOT going to act as though I'm some sort of retard, PLEASE, in Farore's name, tell me what the HELL is going on! One minute, I'm in Hyrule Field, the next, I'm on a hill overlooking a frickin' battlefield!" Everyone besides his rescuer and Marth was slowly backing away. Marth looked at him, and sighed.

"Alright, but first we need to get away from here, before Gharnef's apprentices start trying to-ˮ He was interrupted by a ripping sound that came from behind Link. Immediately, everyone who was armed, including Link, drew their weapons and looked toward the source of the disturbance. Upon seeing what was coming through the tear, Link put away his sword.

"Epona!" he joyfully cried as the ever-faithful horse trotted up to him. "Where have you been, girl?" The rust-colored mare lowered her head and nuzzled his shoulder as he stroked her neck. Marth coughed, breaking up the reunion.

"We still need to get moving. I'll explain more later, but it's imperative that we leave, now!" Link nodded and swung up onto Epona's back. All around him, everyone was preparing to depart the plain. As he gazed around, he was impressed by the degree of organization those around him displayed. Suddenly, he was distracted by a tap on his shoulder. He turned around, only to see his redheaded rescuer glaring at him from atop her mount.

"Ah, there you are. Thank you for earlier," he said. At that, the intensity of the glare lessened. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I caught your name."

"I am Minerva. Marth has asked me to accompany you, and answer any questions that you have as best I can." She did not look happy about the request.

Link looked at her mount skeptically. "Can that thing stay that low to the ground?"

Now the glare regained its former strength. "No, _she_ cannot. I am to ride with you."

"Okay, so where's your horse?" he responded.

"I am to ride _with_ you," she repeated.

"What do you...oh. Right." Link looked rather sheepish for a moment. "I presume you know how to ride?"

_Now_ her tone was positively frozen. "Yes, I do." She dismounted, handing the reigns of her mount over to another flying rider.

Link got down with the intent of helping her up. She looked at his extended hand, sniffed contemptuously, and swung herself up onto Epona's back.

Epona's reaction was instantaneous. The mare began bucking wildly, trying to fling the stranger off her back.

"What the-ah!" Minerva exclaimed as she found herself deposited on the ground behind the horse. The moment that the girl was off, the proud mare settled down. Link, meanwhile, was struggling to not laugh out loud.

"There _was_ a reason why I offered to help you up!" he managed to get out. Minerva glared at him. Everyone else was staring at the two of them like they were crazy. "Epona's very stubborn. I'm the only one who can get her to accept a rider." He walked over to where the girl still sat, glaring at him. He extended his hand. She looked at him, and after a moment, took his hand. After helping her up off the ground, he smiled good-naturedly. "Want to try again?" Minerva looked at him and nodded. "Okay then. I'm going to help you up into the saddle. Once you're seated, I'm going to swing up behind you. Do not move once you're there until I'm behind you. She won't try to buck you so long as you do that, I promise."

He was as good as his word, too. By the time that the two of them were seated comfortably, the rebels were ready to move out.

Marth rode to the front. "Okay, we're all set. Let's go." With those simple words, they started out.

Link and Minerva rode in silence for a few minutes. Finally, Link spoke up.

"Okay, first question. Where are we?"

Minerva looked over her shoulder before answering, "We're on the back of a horse."

Link snorted. "Ha ha, very funny. You know what I mean."

"We are on the continent Archanea, in the kingdom of Aurelis. We're headed to the Holy Kingdom of Archanea. Princess Nyna, who is riding alongside Marth, is the rightful ruler of Archanea."

"Okay. Who or what is this Medeus person?"

Minerva sighed. "He is the Shadow Dragon, the ruler of Dolhr. He wishes to conquer everything."

Link thought about that for a second. "Hm, sounds like someone I know..." At this, Minerva briefly glanced over her shoulder.

"Really? What's their name?" she asked. Her voice, which had begun to lose its tenseness, suddenly sounded brittle. Link, however, was oblivious.

"_His_ name is Ganondorf, and I have sworn to destroy him," was the reply. He was thrown off balance as Minerva turned around suddenly. "Um, is something—ˮ

She looked at him. "How do you know of him? He only appeared two months ago."

Link looked at her in shock. "What do you mean, two _months_? I was through that portal thing about 20 seconds after he was!"

Minerva glared at him. "Answer my question first!" she demanded.

Link glared back, then sighed and looked away. "Okay, where do I start? Well, where I come from..."

(A/N: At this point, we're going to skip ahead a bit, as I'm going to assume that if you're reading this, then you already know what he's going to tell her.)

"...and that's why I've sworn to kill him. He must be stopped before he succeeds in fusing light and shadow." Link finished. Looking up, he realized that night had fallen. Minerva was leaning back against him.

As he gazed down at her head, memories rose, unbidden, of the Time Before the Twilight, of simple days spent with…he shook his head. No, he couldn't afford to think of her. Not yet, not if he was to keep his focus. He felt bad not telling Minerva about that part of the history between him and Ganondorf, but the pain… was still too fresh.

All around them, everyone was stopping. "I guess it's time to stop for the night." As he spoke, Link noticed that Minerva's breathing was very regular. Taking a closer look at her, he saw that she had fallen asleep. He chuckled to himself. "Am I really such a bad storyteller?"

Marth rode up as Link was gently removing Minerva from the saddle. "Link, tonight I...did she really fall asleep?" Marth asked in surprise.

Link snorted. "Yeah, she did. Anyway, you were saying?"

Marth shook his head. "I would like to properly introduce you to the commanders tonight at dinner."

Link thought about it for a moment. "Okay, that sounds smart. When do we eat?"

Marth chortled. "Right now, so please wake Minerva up and then come on over to the main fire." As he walked away, Marth added, "Oh, and the windswept look suits you."

Link watched him walk away, confusion evident on his face. "Windswept? What is...oh no, where's my hat?" He quickly looked around, but couldn't find it. "Ah, well. Come on, Minerva, wake up. It's time to eat." She woke up when he softly shook her.

"Wha...?" she murmured dazedly.

"Come _on_, it's time to eat." He helped her up. "Can you walk comfortably?"

Minerva shook her head. "No, I can't. I'm sorry for falling asleep on you. I heard enough of what you said to not be worried about whose side you're on."

Link glanced at her. "What, so _that_ was why Marth had you ride with me? I feel a little insulted." He offered his arm to her. After giving him a strange look, she took it.

As they were walking towards the main campfire, Minerva leaning ever so slightly against Link, she explained. "No, that wasn't why Marth had me ride with you. He really did just want me to answer your questions. Unfortunately, we've had several traitors infiltrate the Archanean League before, so I had to make sure for my own peace of mind that you were trustworthy."

"So, did I pass?" Link inquired, with a raised eyebrow.

Minerva chuckled. "Yes, with flying colors. Now, Marth is going to want you to sit near him, so we're going to have to part ways for now. I'll see you later." Upon saying this, she released his arm and walked over to where Maria was sitting with yet another young redhead who was dressed in what looked to be clerical garb. Marth looked up from his discussion with a grizzled older man in purple armor with spikes.

"Ah, Link! Come over here, please!" Marth motioned him over. "Link, this is Jagen. Jagen, Link," he said, indicating the older man who he had been talking to. Link shook Jagen's hand then sat down at Marth's gesture. "Please, make yourself comfortable. Tiki just came out and said that the meal will be served presently."

As Marth spoke, a red-haired man wearing an apron and a young green-haired girl exited a nearby tent, a large, cast-iron pot carried by four people following them, steam rising from it.

"Food's ready!" the girl announced proudly.

"Thank you, Tiki," Marth replied. The pot was being carried around the circle, with the stew being served into the bowls in front of each person.

"You're welcome, Mar-mar," she cheerfully replied. Her face abruptly fell as she looked at Link, who had not touched his food.

"Something the matter, Link?" Marth queried.

"What exactly went into this stew?" the Hylian responded. Marth and Jagen both looked at Tiki.

"Oh, a bit of this, a dash of that… whatever was handy, really," the girl replied. "Why do you ask?"

Link set the bowl down. "No offense, but I feel a little uneasy not knowing _something_ about what I'm eating."

Marth gazed at him in a pitying manner. "Well, I can tell you one thing about it."

"Oh? What's that?"

"If you don't start eating, Tiki will make you."

At this, Link burst out laughing. "Oh yeah, I'm real frightened of…the…oh, _shit_."

This outburst was elicited by the fact that where, mere seconds ago, there had been a fuming little girl, there was now a thirty-foot long, slender, silver-scaled _dragon_ glaring down at him. It opened its mouth, and roared:

"EAT YOUR STEW!"

Link promptly grabbed his bowl and began eating. Tiki remained in her dragon form until he had eaten all of his stew, then, as the red haired man and the assistants collected the bowls and utensils, reverted to her sweetly smiling child form. As she skipped off, the Hylian could see several of the others seated around the campfire struggling not to laugh. He turned to Marth, who was amongst those proving mostly successful.

"So, Mar-mar," Link said, smirking as the smile suddenly fell away from the prince's face, "are you going to introduce everyone, or not?"

Marth glared at him for a moment, then shrugged. "Very well. You've already been introduced to Jagen, so I'll continue from there. Next to Jagen is Draug, the commander of our armored units…"

As Link walked away from the fire, he yawned. _Wow_, he mused as he moved towards where he'd left Epona, _they're a lot better organized than I thought. We might actually stand a chance._ Suddenly, he realized that Minerva was standing in front of him.

"Can I help you, Princess?" he asked. _That_ had been an unexpected piece of information he had garnered during the lengthy introduction session. She looked at him, sadness in her eyes.

"Please, _don't_ call me that," she responded. "I prefer to be judged for myself, not for my ancestors. Anyway, there is extra space in our tent, if you don't have one of your own."

Link smiled. "I appreciate the offer, but I think it'd be best if I stay outside." As a hurt look passed over her face, he hastily continued. "I'm a lot more comfortable outside. Thank you sincerely for the offer, though." She looked at him oddly, then nodded.

"Very well. Good night to you, Hylian." With that, she walked off. He chuckled to himself once he was confident she was out of earshot.

"By Farore, these are strange people." He walked to where he had left Epona. As he expected, the faithful mare was still there. "Ah, Epona old girl. Time to set up camp to sleep." He removed the traveling pack from her back, he checked his gear. To his surprise, all that he had with him was: some more green tunics; the Master Sword; a lantern; a collapsible fishing rod; the Hero's Bow, Giant Quiver, and the Hawkeye; both Clawshots; the horse whistle; four empty bottles; and his guitar. He also had some blankets and a flintbox. Shrugging about the loss of the rest of his gear, he got out his blankets and laid them on the ground. Settling down, he played a soothing tune on his guitar, put that away, and, gradually, fell asleep.

Elsewhere…

Two voices, one a deep baritone, and the other a simpering alto, conversed.

"So," mused the baritone, "the Thief King's rival has appeared at last. We must keep an eye on him, and arrange to have him removed from the equation as soon as possible."

"Why, my lord?" queried the other, in a sycophantic tone. "Surely he cannot pose a threat to our plans?"

"Silence, fool!" roared the other. "He does not now, but if he is given the opportunity to develop, he could destroy us!"

"My apologies, lord! I did not mean to doubt your wisdom…"

"Of course not." The first scoffed. "Go. Inform the thief that his eternal foe has arrived, and we shall watch the results. They should be most…amusing."

"Of course, sire! I go! I go!"

The deep-voiced speaker said to himself, once the other was gone, "It is time." Taking on a different tone, he proclaimed "Cry havoc, and let loose the dogs of war! Let blood be spilled, and lives torn asunder! Give shackles to the Wolf, and wings to the Boar! Call forth the lightning, and send down the thunder! Mwahahahaha! Our conquest begins!"

A/N: So, what do ya think? Please let me know. Looking forward to putting more up for this story.

P.S.- does the simpering voice remind you of anyone? Kudos to whoever can guess the inspiration for him was! (Here's a hint: he served the Horse-Lords' king.)


	2. Chain of Memories

A/N-Well, here it is! One of my problems is going to be keeping a constant update schedule. I'll update when possible, although since I already know what most of Chapter three will be about, it should be out a lot sooner.

Disclaimer: All intellectual property belongs to Nintendo, or whoever. Not me.

**Wayward Warrior**

Chapter 2: Chain of Memories

By: shadowreploid

He was riding towards Ordona, whistling softly to himself. It had been a while since he was home, and Link was looking forward to visiting. Even though the young ones were still in Kakariko Village, he wanted to check on the old hometown.

Suddenly, he realized that there was a funny scent in the air. It smelled like burning…wood…NO! He suddenly spurred Epona forward as he recognized the odor in the air. But he wasn't going to make it…A scream of rage came from his throat.

"AAARRRRGGGHHHH!"

Minerva jolted upright in her bed. She had just heard someone scream! As she rushed to get some light armor on, the three Whitewing sisters, Palla, Catria, and Est, woke up.

"Is something wrong, Commander?" the eldest, Palla, queried anxiously, as she and her sisters rushed to follow their leader's example. Minerva nodded.

"Follow me!" She rushed out of the tent, in the direction the scream had come from. When she arrived, Marth was already there, along with a goodly number of the camp. She forced her way through, and saw that, at the center of the crowd, was Link, still asleep. Marth was staring at the Hylian in a perturbed manner. Minerva opened her mouth to ask what was going on, when Link answered the question, after a fashion. He arched his back in his sleep, and screamed:

"NOOO!"

As he raced towards the village, Link could see the smoke rising from the burning buildings. Midna appeared at his side.

"What's wrong, Link?" the little imp said, in a tone full of worry. Suddenly, the warrior realized that that voice had not sounded like Midna. It had sounded like…

"Minerva?" he mumbled, gazing up at the crimson-tressed young woman as he lazily blinked his eyes.

"What was happening, Link? You screamed so loudly that you woke up most of the camp," she anxiously inquired. The young warrior sat up, and saw that she had spoken honestly. He shook his head.

"Just a bad dream, that's all. Sorry for waking everybody up." At that, there was a great deal of grumbling while everyone except Minerva moved away. Link got up, and started to pack his things. Minerva helped him, raising an eyebrow at his guitar.

"You actually play an instrument?" She asked, somewhat incredulously. He turned to face her, an indignant look on his face.

"What, does that surprise you, _princess_?" he snapped. She flinched as though he had struck her. Even as she opened her eyes fully again, Link had crossed the few feet between them. Placing his left hand on her shoulder, he murmured, "Sorry, that was uncalled for." She looked up at him, an injured look on her face. "It's just…well, I get that a lot, and it tends to make me irritable. I was already on edge from the mem… I mean the nightmare." Goddesses! That was a close one! He didn't want to talk to anyone about _those_ memories. Not yet, at any rate.

Minerva gave him an odd look, but didn't press the issue. "I need to go help the Whitewing sisters pack up our tent." She began to walk away. Startled, Link reached out to get her attention, and accidentally grabbed her arm. She whirled to face him again, irritation apparent in her gaze.

"Sorry, but…are you going to ride dragon or horseback today?" Minerva glared at him, narrow-eyed.

"I was planning to ride dragonback. It is necessary to ride my mount often, otherwise she will no longer recognize me, and I will have to bond with her all over again, which is a long and tedious process." Link nodded his understanding, suppressing the feeling of disappointment that swept through him.

"Okay. See you later, then?"

She continued glaring at him, although it was lower in intensity. "I suppose." And with that, she walked away. Link sighed, then finished packing his extraneous equipment away. He then proceeded to gear up.

First, he attached the Clawshots to his belt, one on each side, right next to his knives, thank Farore he'd found those. He'd missed them last night, and he had a feeling they were going to come in handy. Then, he strapped the Master Sword, still in its sheath, to his back, over which he pulled the quiver, arranging it so that the quiver's mouth was at his right shoulder, and the Master Sword's hilt at his left. Finally, he placed his bow in the quiver, and put the Hawkeye in a belt pouch for easy access.

As he was checking the straps to make sure everything was firmly attached, Marth approached him with a young blue-haired woman at his side. Link acknowledged the Altean prince with a nod.

"Prince Marth. What can I do for you?" Marth smiled.

"Well, Caeda wanted to thank you for your actions yesterday. If you hadn't been there, she would likely have been killed by the Manakete." At that, the young girl stepped forward. She was wearing light pink armor that looked somewhat similar to Minerva's, at least so far as functionality was concerned. Link remembered Marth saying something about Caeda being princess of the island nation of Talys.

"Thank you for saving me, Sir Link," she said, a tone of gratitude in her voice. Link laughed.

"I've not been knighted, so just call me Link." Caeda's face grew thoughtful for a moment, but then she smiled.

"Very well, Link it is then." Her voice was full of gentle amusement. Looking her over, the Hylian realized something.

"Wasn't your leg broken yesterday?" Caeda laughed, a lilting, joy-filled sound.

"We have a number of skilled clerics. It was a simple matter for them to fix the damage."

Just as she finished speaking, the Hylian's keen ears picked up rapid footsteps, headed in their direction. Moving to place himself between the two royals, Link drew the Master Sword and held it so that he could rapidly shift it to deflect any projectiles.

Before either of the two could ask what the matter was, one of the League's scouts (Gordin, if Link recalled correctly) dashed into view. He quickly skidded to a halt, though, as he saw the blade that was ready to take his head off. Link quickly sheathed his blade and nodded at the young scout, who ran up to Marth.

"Sire! A massive army approaches from the west! Macedon's Dragoons are with them!"

Marth blanched. "Blazes! I was hoping to get some more arrowspates for our ballisticians before we had to face them. Oh, well." His face took on a fierce aspect that Link had not seen before.

As his troops began to gather about him, having been alerted by the other scouts, Marth started giving orders. "Alright! Here's the battle plan! Ballisticians with arrowspates, head for the high ground! Take down as many of the Dragoons as possible! Archers, provide covering fire for them! All other ballisticians, find an elevated position, but give the arrowspates the best spots! Cavalry, you're the frontline! Infantry, you're behind the cavalry! Magic-wielders, find the best spot for your spells of choice! Aerial units, ware enemy arrows, and pick your targets!" The Prince of Altea paused for breath, and to gaze out at the dust cloud that heralded the oncoming enemy. "This may be the League's final battle. It has been an honor to fight beside all of you. Thoron be with you!" There was a collective roar from the assembled army, and then they began to scramble into their positions.

Link approached Marth. "Where would you like me to fight, sire?" Marth raised an eyebrow at the sudden formality.

"Well, I was hoping that you would act as a mobile strike unit. Basically, I need you to help head off any breaches of the line for as long as possible. If their infantry or cavalry reach our ballisticians, we are doomed." The Hero of Time nodded.

"Fine. I'll do what I can." With that, he swung onto Epona's back, and took off.

Two hours later, Link was tiring. He'd stopped about five breaches, but there were still more openings appearing. Suddenly, he heard a screech. Looking up, he saw a dracoknight, whose mount had just had a wing pierced by a ballista bolt, falling to the ground. Something about the screaming voice of the rider sounded familiar. And then, it struck him. That was Minerva! He raced in the direction that she had fallen, spurring Epona on.

Minerva groaned in pain. Shiara, her mount, had managed to crash-land on a fairly high mesa, so nothing was broken, although she suspected that she might have twisted her ankle. The only people who would be able to reach them would be other aerial units, and, since the ballisticians had managed to keep the Dragoons at bay through sheer grit and determination, the Macedonian princess felt safe. At least, she did until she heard her elder brother Michalis's voice.

"Well, well, well. What have we…oh, no. Minerva!" She heard the _whoosh_ of his mount coming in for a landing, and then his running feet. As she slowly levered herself into a sitting position, her brother slowed down. She glared at him. His hair, the same red as hers, shifted in the wind. His black overcoat, with its golden trim, looked so much like the uniform of a general of Dolhr that she was sickened by the resemblance.

"What do _you_ want?" An injured look passed over his face.

"Am I not allowed to be concerned for my sister?"

She spat at him. "Concern? Ha! You did not seem _concerned_ when your Dolhr allies held Maria captive. You did not seem _concerned_ when they threatened my life! You most certainly did _not_ seem _concerned_ when Gharnef told you to slay our _father_!"

Michalis flinched at each accusation. Once she fell silent, though, he glared back at her. "Oh? And would you rather I take you to the tender mercies of the Dark Lord?"

Minerva gazed at him in confusion. "What do you mean? Who are you talking about?"

Her brother started pacing back and forth. "Ganondorf has the ear of Medeus. For some strange reason, he has decreed that all females of royal blood must be brought to him alive."

She raised an eyebrow at that. "Really? And you have _no_ clue why?"

He shook his head. "No, I don't."

Suddenly, there was a loud _thump_ behind Michalis. Whirling around, he saw a young man, about his own age, standing there. He was well-armed, with a bastard sword, a bow and quiver, and two daggers. In his hands were two strange, claw-like devices. Link put the Clawshots away, then looked at the two siblings with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm sorry, am I interrupting something?" Before either of the two red-heads could respond, Michalis's mount tried to take a bite out of the Hylian's right arm. Link simply shifted his arm out of the way, and then bopped the wyvern on the nose. The large reptile screeched in pain, and quickly drew back. Meanwhile, Michalis and Minerva stared at him incredulously.

"How did you get up here?" they asked in perfect unison, eliciting scowls from both of them, and laughter from Link.

"Well, there _are_ higher points than here nearby, so I just used the Clawshots to swing over," Link replied. Taking a closer look at the two of them, his eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "Ah. I take it this is your brother?" Minerva nodded. Before Michalis could blink, there was a blade-tip right in front of his nose. He quickly went cross-eyed trying to keep an eye on it. "I think," Link said, in a tone that dripped with disgust, "that you should be leaving _now_, patricide."

Michalis glanced at his sister. "You told him, then?"

She glared back. "No, I didn't."

Both then glared at Link, who shrugged, the movement not affecting the position of the sword at all. "I have good hearing," the Hylian said, gesturing to his ears, "and it's not difficult to hear you when you're yelling at the top of your lungs. So, technically, you _did_ tell me. You just didn't know it."

Suddenly, there was the sound of wing-beats from above. Caeda descended into view, riding her mount, in the airspace behind where Minerva and Shiara lay. Michalis's eyes widened, as a red light suddenly shone forth from a crystalline pendant hung on a chain about his neck.

"No! Get back! _He_ will know!" the king of Macedon snarled desperately. Before Link could ask what the panicked royal meant, he heard a musical sound. Gazing beyond his captive, the Hylian could see a familiar figure forming out of black squares.

As he finished coming together, facing away from the two males, Ganondorf took one look at Minerva and Caeda, and laughed. "AHAHAHA! Excellent work, Michalis! Two birds with one stone, eh?" When no answer was forthcoming, the murderer frowned and started to turn around. "Michalis, are you o…" He was cut off by a roar of rage.

"GAAANOOONDOOORRF!" Link screamed as he rushed the villain, Master Sword raised to strike. The Gerudo King barely dodged in time, a smirk on his face.

"Ah, hero. How good of you to follow me, and thus spare me the trouble of returning to hunt you down," he sneered, as he drew his own, crimson blade.

"Oh, so I spared you the embarrassment of me kicking your hide out of Hyrule Castle again?" Link retorted while he countered his foe's thrust with a swing of his own blade.

The Thief growled in rage. "Less talk, more fight, boy!"

The Hero smiled a wolf's smile. "Gladly, old man!" And with that, the combat began.

Blade of Evil's Bane met Blade of Hyrule's Pain with a crack like thunder. The two combatants leapt back, then charged forward again. Ganondorf made a jab for the Hylian's heart, which Link quickly dodged. He retaliated with a flurry of blows, forcing his foe back. The Gerudo jumped out of the way, landing behind his opponent. He swung his sword, but Link leaped upward over the swipe on instinct. As he hit the ground, he rolled to the side, avoiding Ganondorf's vertical strike. All of this took about ten seconds.

Meanwhile, Michalis, Minerva, and Caeda were watching the display of skill with mouths wide open. None of them were strangers to armed combat, but this…this was beyond any of them. The two fighters were like lightning bolts, crashing together again and again.

Suddenly, the red glow returned to the crystal around Michalis's neck. His eyes took on a similar glow. From his belt, he drew a strange knife. It was made up of a black crystal with orange highlights. He walked towards the conflict, his movements jerky and mechanical. As Minerva caught sight of his motion, she started to call out to warn Link.

"Link watch ou-ˮ She never got the chance to finish. Her brother raised the knife above his head, then struck. The blade bit into the Hylian's right shoulder, causing him to cry out in pain. Once the tip of the blade was thoroughly embedded, the Macedonian snapped it off with a jerk of his wrist.

Link gazed over his shoulder. "What did you just-ˮ A tremor passed through his body. His face twisted with fear. "No. No! Damn you! Farore damn you!" At each exclamation, another tremor coursed through his frame. He turned towards Minerva. "Remember what I told you! Right shoulder! The right-ARRGGHHH!" He fell to his knees. "Aaaagg-hooooooo!" The transformation overtook him, the shard of darkness returning him to his Twilight-cursed form: that of a majestic, blue-eyed wolf, with the symbol of the Triforce on its left forepaw, and a shackle with a few links of chain on the same limb.

Minerva stared in horror, and pity. He had told her about this, warned her of the possibility of it occurring. But she had not really believed that he had literally _become_ a wolf.

Wolf-Link looked at himself, and then at Ganondorf. A growl came from his throat. It was filled with rage and hatred. The Gerudo started to grin, until the beast leapt at him with a sound akin to a bark.

"Wha- what are you doing? You'll kill us bo-!" His words were cut off as the two Chosen of the Goddesses fell off the edge.

Minerva staggered to her feet, and hurried to the precipice. "LINK! LINK!" But no reply came. The Hero and the Thief…were gone.

A/N-sorry for the cliffhanger, but it seemed like a good stopping point. Poor Link. He's stuck as a wolf again, and with no Midna to help, what will he do?

Again, chapter three should be out sooner. Till then, take care!

shadowreploid has left the building!


	3. Explanations and Apologies

A/N: I am a horrible liar. From now on, I will make no promises regarding when the next chapter shall come out. Anyway, read and review, please! Anonymous reviews welcome, so long as they are constructive. This is my first story for the site, and the first time I've written seriously in several years, so helpful criticism is much appreciated. But enough of that. On with the story!

**Wayward Warrior**

Chapter 3: Explanations and Apologies

By: shadowreploid

As he fell towards the ground far below, Link howled with rage. Below him, Ganondorf, his crimson hair streaming in the wind, laughed as he started to teleport away.

"Good luck with meeting the ground, _hero_!" The Gerudo chieftain sneered as he disappeared in a funnel of black squares.

The wolf closed his eyes, not wanting to see the rapidly approaching ground. Suddenly, he felt a sharp jerk. "_What the…?_" He wondered. Opening his eyes, the only part of him that did not change with the transformation, the unfortunate Hylian saw that the ground had stopped rushing up to meet him. Twisting his head around, he saw Caeda on her draconic mount, one arm extended, holding him by the ruff of his neck. She made a pained noise as he moved.

"Please, _don't_," she begged. "It's hard enough to keep from dropping you without you struggling." He wanted to apologize, but he knew that she would not be able to understand him, so he didn't bother trying. Instead, he just stopped moving. "Thank you," she said relief evident in her voice. "I'm going to lower you to the ground, okay?" He slowly wagged his tail. Apparently, she understood that much, at least, because they started to descend. Link hung his lupine head and closed his eyes.

"_Great. Just GREAT. Stuck as a wolf again. And this time, I doubt I'll be so lucky as to meet another Midna._" Sadness filled his heart as he recalled the sarcastic, insulting imp, whose aid he had come to rely on so much. The last he had seen her, she had been prepared to engage Ganondorf in combat using the Fused Shadows, the powerful magic of her ancestors. Before he could say anything to dissuade her, though, she had teleported both him and Zelda away from the throne room. When Ganondorf had appeared, crushing the Fused Shadow that Midna had used as a helmet, it had felt like yet another stake was being driven into his already thoroughly impaled heart. The only way she would have let _that_ leave her was if she was dead. A part of him wanted to howl at the thought of another friend gone, but that was quickly pushed down by the reasoning that such an action might force Caeda to drop him. Although, he realized as he felt the ground beneath his paws, and opened his eyes, it might not have hurt that much.

"Alright," Caeda said, as he turned around to face her, "I need to go help Minerva. Try to stay out of the way until we come back." He nodded. "Thank you. We'll be down as soon as possible." She took off, and Link scampered into some nearby bushes. Turning a few times in a circle, he lay down, satisfied for the moment, and went to sleep.

* * *

The Hylian was awakened several hours later by desperate cries of "Link! Link! Where are you?" At the sound, his ears poked up. He moved forward through the bush as quietly as he could. As he reached the edge, he heard someone say, "Don't let your guard down. It might be a wild beast."

Sighing inwardly, Link considered his options. He could walk out of the vegetation slowly, hoping that they wouldn't shoot at him immediately. Or, he could rush out, which pretty much _guaranteed_ that he would be shot. "_Yeah, slowly sounds like a __**much**__ better option,_" he mused. Sighing to himself again, the lupine hero worked his way out of the bushes as calmly as possible, tail between his legs. His greeting was composed of ten bows with arrows nocked and aimed straight at his head.

Before anyone else could say or do anything, there was a girlish squeal of rage. "You **oughta** be sorry, Lin-lin!" That was the only warning he had before he was struck by what seemed to be a pink-garbed bolt of lightning with green hair. Tiki hugged him tightly. "We've been searching for hours!" Everyone stared in surprise at the pair, before Marth stepped forward.

"Tiki, that's not Link. It's a wild-ˮ

"Actually," Minerva spoke up, "that **is** Link. He's been changed by dark magic." Marth glared at her.

"And you were planning to tell us this **when**? We might have killed him!" The prince took an angry step towards Minerva.

Link was watching the exchange, Tiki still clinging to his neck. He was calm for most of it, but when Marth started towards Minerva, anger in his eyes, the Hylian acted. He broke free of Tiki's vise-like grip, and leapt between Marth and Minerva. Hackles raised, snarling in clear warning, he looked like a proud wolf defending its den.

Tiki looked at Marth. "I think he doesn't want you to get any closer to her."

Marth stood there, facing the enraged wolf without flinching. Eyebrow raised, the Altean royal shrugged. "I meant her no harm, my friend. My apologies." At that, the growling subsided, although his hackles remained up in clear warning. Marth sighed at that, then turned to Jagen. "Have everyone head back to camp. I need to speak with them alone." Jagen nodded as he turned to the crowd of searchers and started to order them to get moving. The young leader looked at Tiki. "And how are you able to understand him?"

Tiki shook her head. "I don't know, Mar-mar. I just…_can_." Suddenly, Link made a whining sound. Both of them turned to look at him. "Lin-lin says that he thinks it's because part of me is an animal, I can understand him because in that form, part of _him_ is human-like." The wolf uttered a few growls. The dragon-girl glanced at him, then back at the royal. "He wants to know where Michalis is. He was the one who stabbed him with the…um, I'm sorry, what's that word mean?" Suddenly, Link seemed to be _very_ occupied with sniffing the ground in front of him. Tiki got a very confused expression on her face. "What does _that_ mean?" Minerva looked on, a bemused expression on her face.

"What did he say?" she asked.

"I don't know what he meant the first time, but now he's saying he doesn't want to be the one to give me the 'birds and bees' talk. Mar-mar, what does he mean by that?" At that, the two humans face-palmed. It was going to be a _long_ afternoon.

* * *

Later…

As they made their way into camp, Marth was still shooting Link venomous glares. It had taken every scrap of diplomacy the Altean possessed to distract Tiki from that single comment. There was still the possibility that she would ask someone _else_, but that would be _that_ poor sap's problem. Minerva, who he had been hoping for some help from, was rapidly transported to the camp to be healed. (A/N-Yeah, Tiki _can_ be that annoying.) Caeda walked up to them.

"So, how is he?" Link trotted up to her and sat down, tail wagging, but a low whine coming from his throat.

"He says that he's just going to make the best of it for now," Tiki responded, which the lupine Hylian confirmed with a very human-looking nod. Almost immediately, though, he got a look of wolfish concern on his face and barked. The little girl translated. "Where's Michalis? Did he get away?"

Caeda responded, "No, he is currently at his sister's side." Before she could say anything further, Link darted off, Tiki close on his heels. The princess turned to Marth. "Should we stop them?" Marth shook his head.

"No. From what I could work out, using Tiki as translator, Michalis may very well have consigned the Hylian to being a wolf for the rest of his life." A look of shock passed over her face.

"And you're not worried that he might kill the king of Macedon, sparking an international incident?"

He gave her a strange look. "International incident? We're at _war_ with them, Caeda. About the best thing at this point, from a practical standpoint, would be to kill Michalis, and deprive Macedon of a hostile leader." Before she could respond to that cold-blooded statement, Marth continued. "But, in all honesty, I do not think that Link intends to kill him. Confront him? Yes. Scare the crap out of him? Yes. But kill him? I doubt it. That just does not seem like something that he would do. Let him deal with the situation himself. Now, I'm hungry. Would you care to join me in my tent for a repast, Lady Caeda?" he asked, bowing with a flourish.

She giggled. "I would be honored, Lord Marth." The two of them walked away laughing, hand in hand.

* * *

Minerva yawned as she came out of the healing-induced sleep. Gazing about her tent with sleep-clouded eyes, she spotted someone sitting in a corner. "Palla? You should be eating. It must be…" As the person stood up, her eyes widened for the briefest instant, then narrowed. "What are _you_ doing here?" Her brother stared calmly back.

"Don't worry. Your subordinates, after giving me a _very_ thorough description of what would happen if I tried anything, departed to eat." She opened her mouth, but before she could speak, he continued. "You've been asleep for about three hours, if that's what you're wondering." Her jaw snapped shut. She was still doing the "glare of death", though. He sighed. "For what it's worth, I _am_ sorry about what I did earlier. Although, in my defense, I was under some sort of mental control. I can't personally recall what happened. The Whitewings told me the course of events, which they learned from Caeda."

Minerva continued to glare at him. "Excuse me if I fail to be convinced." Before she could speak any further, a commotion arose outside the tent. The siblings could hear cries of "Hey! Watch where ye're goin'!", "Ow!", and "Excuse me!" that were approaching the medical tent, along with what sounded like barking.

The two of them looked at each other in confusion. "What the heck…?" Michalis wondered. Suddenly, the front flap of the tent flew open as a black and grey blur vaulted inside, followed closely by Tiki. By the time either of them had recognized the blur as the lupine Link, he had pinned Michalis beneath him. His teeth were at Michalis's throat, a snarling growl emerging from his chest.

"Link! What are you _doing_?" Minerva shouted. The growl softened as he turned his shaggy head towards her. "I understand that you are angry at him, but that does not mean that you should kill him. He may not have had control of himself. Please, wait until he has had a chance to defend himself." The Hylian glared at her, but clambered down off of Michalis. Link settled down onto his haunches as the Macedonian rose to his feet, brushing himself off.

"Thank you, _dear_ sister," the redhead said. Glancing towards the wolf, he indicated a chair. "May I sit down?" The animal nodded. "Thank you." As he sat down, Michalis was careful to keep a close eye on Link. Once he was seated, he reached into a pocket and pulled out a pulsating red crystal on a finely woven chain. At the sight of it, Link sat up straighter. "Ah. I take that you have a good idea where this comes from, then?" the young man asked.

Tiki spoke up. "He says yes he does, and he wants to know where you got it." When both Minerva and Michalis looked at her, the little dragon-girl bristled a bit. "What? I'm the only one around who can understand him, apparently. So I'm stuck acting as his translator." Minerva stared for a few seconds longer, then chuckled.

"Well, it makes sense, in a way. Anyway, please continue." Link shifted position slightly and panted.

Tiki cleared her throat. "He says that it's a shard of a Gerudo ruby. They were crystals used by the Gerudo, who were an all-female tribe with the exception of one male every hundred years, to control men."

Michalis looked confused. "But there are no Gerudo here."

The wolf snorted, and Tiki laughed. "Well, that's where you're wrong. Ganondorf is the one male Gerudo. He is an extremely powerful sorcerer, so utilizing a simple compulsion gem is not difficult for him. Particularly when it is designed for his race to use." The little girl looked thoughtful for a moment, then continued, "Now that he has seen the ruby, he does not blame you for what happened. Not that he trusts you completely," she quickly added, "but he is willing to give you a chance."

Michalis sighed, a wry half-smile on his face. "How generous. What are the restrictions?"

Link growled. "You must be accompanied by someone at all times. You will not be allowed any weapons, period. If you try anything, you will spend the rest of the war in a ten by ten box. Oh, and hand over that knife that you stabbed Lin-lin with."

The young king frowned. "I already gave the knife to one of the Whitewing sisters. Catria, I believe her name was. I am to be defenseless, then?"

"Consider yourself lucky that you live. Personally, I'd prefer to rip your throat out."

"So why the leniency?"

The Hylian indicated Minerva with a movement of his head. Tiki did not translate. She didn't really need to.

Michalis nodded. "Ah. Thank you."

There was silence for several seconds, then Minerva spoke up. "Tiki, why don't you and Michalis go get all of us some supper?"

The little dragon-goddess grabbed Michalis's hand. "Okay! Come on, Mike-mike!" As a look of bewilderment passed over his face, he was dragged from the tent.

Minerva laughed. "That ought to keep them out of the way for a bit." Suddenly, she realized that there was a heavy weight along her side. Looking down, she saw Link lying next to her, panting in canine laughter. She smiled back. "You know, I haven't thanked you yet for arriving when you did." She started scratching the area behind his ears. His tail started thumping rapidly, and he shifted his head so that it was easier for her to reach the good spots. The warmth of the tent was so nice, and it would be so easy to...just…

* * *

As they approached the tent, Michalis could not help but be amused at how such a little girl was able to order him around so easily. He had followed Tiki around the camp for about an hour, constantly pulled this way and that. He had met a large number of the League's higher-ups, and, although he was loath to admit it, he was starting to like being in the camp. Everything was a great deal more casual than he was used to. He felt like he could relax, even though he was a prisoner. Finally, though, he had reminded her that they needed to take some food back to Minerva and Link. She had led the way to the kitchen tent, where, after the two of them had eaten their food, they picked up a couple bowls of stew along with some bread for Minerva, and a piece of raw beef for Link. (Apparently, the Hylian had asked Tiki to get it for him.)

Tiki, who was in the lead, suddenly stopped. "What is it, little one?" Michalis asked.

She looked thoughtful. "It sounds like both of them are asleep. I'll drop the food off, and we'll let Min-min and Lin-lin get some rest." After considering for a moment, he nodded.

"Okay, that makes sense." Tiki walked over to the tent flap, and very gently placed the foodstuffs just inside. She turned to him.

"Have you met Lena yet?" she asked as they started off. Michalis chuckled.

"No, but I get the feeling you are going to fix that," he replied.

"Yup! Come on," she said, skipping ahead a bit.

If either of them had actually looked into the tent, they would have seen the Princess of Macedon sound asleep, one hand still on the head of the dozing wolf.

* * *

A/N- Yes, Link _did_ say what is implied by the "birds and bees talk". I know, he's supposed to be a nice guy, but I feel that it's appropriate in this situation. After all, he's currently facing the possibility of being stuck as a wolf forever. I think that would make Gandhi curse.

As for the scene with Marth and Caeda, well… I was trying to make it clear just how much stress Marth is experiencing. He is aware of what practicality demands, yet he doesn't want to sink to Medeus's level.

Let me know what you think of the last scene, BTW. Why? That's for me to know and you to figure out.

Shadowreploid, signing out. (I'm trying different exit phrases. Didja notice? ;) )


	4. Dragons and Dragmires

A/N: As you may have guessed from the name of the chapter, we'll be leaving Link to sleep for a bit. Mainly because I need to give Ganondorf more dialogue than zippy, evil one-liners. At least, _he_ thinks they're zippy.

Ganondorf: Hey! They are! You lesser beings just can't appreciate them!

Mysterious cloaked figure: *brains Gan with flat of sword* Shut up, idiot! *looking up, sees readers staring with expressions of surprise* Oh. Hello, everybody! *takes hood down* I'm Jas, Shadowreploid's OC. My job usually consists of, well… nothing. So, to get me to stop whining, he'll be letting me help handle the author notes and stuff like that, including responding to reviews! *I clear my throat, lean over and whisper in ear* What! Only three reviews for the whole Zeus-damned story? Come on, people! Gimme something to do here! *big puppy eyes* If you read the story, _pleeease_ do a review. Anyway, this chapter focuses on Ganondorf and Medeus, with some time dedicated to Zelda, and the mage who has been assigned to tend to her. There'll also be some scenes featuring one of the shady characters from the end of chapter one.

Me: Ha! You thought I forgot all about them, didn't you? Well, I didn't, so there! *sticks tongue out at readers*

Jas: Oookay, enough of that. Stop before you scare them away. Now, for the replying to reviews bit:

**Me ()**: Thank you for your kind words. However, as much as SR's enjoying writing in Archanea, Link is going to go far more bizarre places before all is said and done. He's already anticipating that this story will take at _least_ 50 chapters, and it's quite likely that that number will have to be bumped up.

**Kuro-Ookami4**: Hmm, very perceptive. You'll just have to wait and see how that's dealt with. Sorry for the vagueness, but I'm not allowed to give away plot points.

Thanks go to **PokkiChoco** for the fav!

Alright, on with the story!

**Wayward Warrior**

Chapter 4: Dragons and Dragmires

By: shadowreploid

* * *

As he warped away, Ganondorf laughed at the look of outrage on his lupine foe's face. _Too easy!_, he thought to himself. He felt the finely worked stones of the road leading to Medeus's keep form beneath his feet as he arrived. Looking up, the Gerudo chieftain gazed upon an architectural masterpiece.

The castle was built out of solid, midnight-black rock. Not blocks of it, no. The entire place was one big mass of stone. At first, the Thief had thought that it was carved from the mountain by hand. Medeus was quick to inform him, however, that the ancient earth dragon had sculpted the place through his mastery of rock and stone. Other than the building material, though, the castle appeared to be normal in all respects. As he drew closer, though, the Gerudo could easily discern the one other remarkable feature: the entire building was gargantuan. It had been built for dragons to be able to live in their natural forms. For a similar reason, there were no stairs, as all the dragons except Medeus could fly with ease, either through wings or magic, and the Shadow Dragon was perfectly content staying on the first floor. There were simply holes in the ceiling and floor.

When Medeus first showed the crimson-haired murderer this arrangement, Ganondorf had simply gaped. To the surprise of the old one's draconic followers, though, rather than complain, the strange humanoid had rapidly mastered a simple levitation spell. This earned him the grudging respect of several of the more senior Manaketes. The design of the castle also lent itself well to keeping someone prisoner, as long as that person didn't have wings.

All of this quickly passed through the King of Thieves' mind as he entered the castle. Gazing about, he spotted several Manaketes lounging in dragon form. As he neared the throne room, one of the massive reptiles raised its head.

"Ah, Ganondorf! How went the hunt?" The dragon speaking to him was Morzan, one of the elder fire dragons. The Gerudo walked up to him, smirking.

"It went well, my friend. The fool Michalis is in the clutches of the League and that accursed brat is trapped in his bestial form." The two of them had gotten along just fine ever since the incident with the levitation spell. Morzan was amused by the wit of the desert-dweller, and in turn Ganondorf was glad to have an ally in the strange world.

The old fire-breather nodded. "Good, good." He spoke in a distracted tone, as though his thoughts were elsewhere. Suddenly, he looked back at Ganondorf. "Medeus is in a foul mood today. Your foe apparently managed to dispatch the general of the western plains." Morzan snorted derisively. "Kaer was an ignorant, arrogant hatchling. His death is no great loss to us. The Shadow Dragon, however, is not happy about it. He wants the Hylian dead."

The humanoid grimaced. "As do I, but I doubt that his methods will agree with mine. I need to take the thrice-damned fool alive, to remove the piece of the Triforce that he holds." The old fire dragon shook his head.

"You do not have a choice in the matter, my friend. After consulting with the Cloaked One, Medeus dispatched a trio of trained assassins to dispose of him."

Ganondorf wore a look of shock. "WHAT? This is ridiculous! If our plan is to succeed, I _need_ all three parts of the Triforce."

Suddenly, from the direction of the throne room the two heard the simpering voice of the aforementioned. "Come now, gentlemen. Surely we can all get along?" Both turned to face the nuisance. The "Cloaked One" was standing in the massive entrance to the throne room. He was of average stature, and that was all that could be discerned about him, as he always wore a gray, hooded robe. He walked up to the duo.

"What do _you_ want?" the Thief snarled. The hooded figure raised both hands in supplication.

"I simply wished to speak with you two fine gentlemen concerning Lord Medeus's decision," he replied.

Morzan glared at him. "And what makes you think that we care to speak to you?"

The two of them somehow had the distinct impression that under the hood, the irritant was smirking. "Well, to be frank, I do not expect the assassins to succeed."

Ganondorf looked at him strangely. "So why send them at all?"

"So that he would be more willing to let _you_ deal with the threat that Link Forrester poses. Once he sees that his best trained killers have failed, Medeus will let you proceed as you see fit."

The old fire dragon rumbled deep in his throat. "What do _you_ stand to gain from this?"

"Simply the satisfaction of knowing that our plans will go smoother."

* * *

Ganondorf approached his quarters, deeply troubled. After the Cloaked One had left, Morzan and he had debated what possible ulterior motive the sycophant could have. They could not figure it out, though, and so the two old hands parted ways.

The Gerudo entered the section of the castle that Medeus was kind enough to grant him for the use of himself, his prisoner, and a rather interesting servant he'd picked up back in Hyrule. When his feet passed over the threshold, a soft chiming echoed throughout the chambers.

Almost immediately, he heard a cry from deeper within. "I'll be there momentarily, Majesty!" There was the sound of someone rushing about, then a loud crashing sound, accompanied by the tinkling of breaking glass and muffled curses. Ganondorf winced. Sometimes he wondered if the fool was really worth the trouble. He quickly dismissed the thought, though. He did not trust Medeus or his scaly subordinates (besides Morzan) one bit. The bumbling idiot _had_ to obey him, so long as he held the jewel that had been used to bind him. The Thief was unsure why the oaf had been imprisoned in such an intricate manner, but to be honest, he didn't really care.

Through the doorway to the sleeping quarters came the buffoon. His purple hair and red eyes contrasted with his pale skin.

"Yes, sire?"

"Is the princess still restrained?"

He bowed. "Of course, Highness."

"Very well, then. I'm off to bed."

* * *

As Ganondorf left for his room, the red-eyed man returned to the room where they'd been plotting. Zelda looked up at him anxiously.

"Has he gone to bed?" she inquired as she sat on the bed, clearly unrestrained.

"Yes. I think we need to stop for the night, as well."

She gazed at him, a sad smile on her lips. "I submit myself to your judgment, Lord Vaati."

He sat in a chair next to the bed for several minutes, looking at her with something close to adoration. The two of them were both unwilling captives of the Gerudo King, and neither was above working with the other. So far, they had been unable to come up with any plan that lasted more than one or two sessions. However, he had faith that they would work something out. They just needed time, which he was starting to suspect they didn't have. _"Oh, well,"_ the Wind Mage thought to himself as he drifted off to sleep, _"just have to do what we can."_

* * *

Me: Mwahaha! No one was expecting _him_ to show up!

Jas: For once, you're right. Because it's _totally random_! By Morpheus, could you have picked a bigger loser?

Me: Right. Loser. Hmm. And who was it who made a stupid comment and got SZ so thoroughly ticked off that she was trying to kill them?

Jas: *look of nervousness, eyes darting about* Uh…Moving on! Hope you enjoyed the chapter, please read and review. BTW, just gonna kill _this_ one right now: the "Cloaked One" is _not_ me! He is one of a small number of OC's created expressly for this story. See ya-

Me: Ahem.

Jas: Oh, right! The disclaimer! Shadowreploid does not own Legend of Zelda or Fire Emblem, somebody else does! Much to his dismay.

Me: Thanks for reading people. BTW, _very_ sorry about the short chapter. Next one will be back to the regular length, I promise. This is Shadowreploid, signing out. Don't forget to keep your stick on the ice.


	5. Divine Beasts

Jas: Hi everybody! We apologize for the _extremely_ long delay.

Me: See, after the last chapter, I was thinking about the story. Most of it had already been worked out, but it was only in my head. Therefore, to ensure that I didn't f#$% the entire thing up, I have begun typing the basic outline into the computer and saving it on my handy little flash drive (backing it up on desktop, of course.) That is the first part why this has taken so long to put up, as I wanted to get through with at least the next world. The second reason being that I was experiencing the worst case of writer's block I've had since I started this story. Again, I am truly sorry for the amount of time you've had to wait for chapter five. Now to the responding to reviews. Hit it, Jas.

Jas: Right. *looks around expectantly, than back at me in "confusion"* Hit what?

Me: *death glare* Ha hah, very funny. Do your damn job, slacker.

Jas: Okay!

**DarkShiftRising**: Well, there's a reason for that klutziness. And yes, I know very well about SZ's fireballs. That was one of my first meetings with the Division, remember? (SR in background roaring with laughter)

**me()**: Glad to hear it. Things start to kick into gear this chapter.

**PokkiChoco**: Mwuahaha, trust me, Vaati's past is not going to be ignored. All I can say right now 'bout that.

Thanks also to **DarkShiftRising** for the fav!

Alright, on with the story!

* * *

**Wayward Warrior**

Chapter 5: Divine Beasts

By: Shadowreploid

* * *

Shadows moved against shadows in the early dawn. As the warriors of the League slumbered, the three assassins sent by Medeus slinked through the tents. They had been ordered to kill the leadership of the League, but the Shadow Dragon had promised riches to the one who brought him the head of the killer of Kaer, the Manakete general responsible for the western plains. Thus, the trio ignored all other targets, in hopes of being the one to claim the prize. Suddenly, the hoot of an owl echoed through the night. One of them had found something!

The other two hurried to the tent the sound had come from. Inside, they found their compatriot standing over Minerva, Princess of Macedon. She was entirely alone, which the trained killers found strange, but convenient. As a high-ranking member of the rebellion, she was likely to know where the warrior was.

* * *

Minerva was rudely awakened by a hand over her mouth and a knife at her throat. She stared up in fright at the assassins. One of them leaned down.

"Where is the slayer of Kaer?" he hissed, glaring at her. "Answer promptly, or your life is forf-argh!" Just as he finished his threat, a grey-black blur leapt over the princess and tore into his throat.

Before the other two killers could react, there was the sound of a horse rapidly approaching, and Epona burst through the tent flap. She reared up on her hind legs, striking out with her hooves. One of the princess's assailants was knocked unconscious by a hoof to the head, while the remaining assassin had his throat promptly ventilated by the raging canine. Minerva stared in shock at the two animals.

"What in the name of Thoron just happened?" Link whined in response, as his loyal horse snorted. The princess could hear running feet, and as she struggled into an upright position, her brother rushed into the pavilion, followed closely by the Whitewing sisters. Behind them, it seemed the entire camp was up in arms. Michalis's jaw dropped as he surveyed the scene.

His sister, still in nightclothes, was sitting upright in her bed. Between the two siblings lay three unmoving bodies, assassins by the look of them. And, gazing back at him regally, was the transformed Hylian, seated on his hind haunches. Around the wolf's mouth there was blood. He seemed unaware of this as he sat there. Behind the Macedonian, Marth managed to work his way to the front of the crowd, Caeda and Tiki close behind. He struggled to maintain a stoic expression. He did not entirely succeed, though, for his eyes widened slightly at the tableau before him.

"What the _hell_ is going on here?" the Altean queried.

Minerva replied, "I'm not sure. I woke up to a blade at my throat. The one holding the knife asked me a question, but I didn't know what he was talking about. Just as he seemed to lose patience, Link attacked him. He saved my life." At that, everyone's attention turned to the wolf, who was scratching behind his ear with his hind leg. Perhaps sensing all of their eyes on him, he looked up at everyone with a canine grin on his face as he wagged his tail. The prince turned around. "Okay, everyone who is not a member of the League's Council, get moving! We'll need to leave with all possible haste."

Marth gazed at the Hylian. "Well, do _you_ know what happened?" Link nodded. Tiki began to translate again.

"I woke up because of nature's rather insistent calling, so I left the tent to deal with it. The wind was coming towards me from the camp. On my way back, I caught a whiff of…hostility, for lack of a better word. Don't ask me to explain, I can't give a clearer answer. Anyway, I rushed into the tent to see three assassins, one with a knife against Minerva's throat. Instinct took over, and before I knew it, there were three bodies on the ground." Michalis approached Link slowly and cautiously.

"Thank you for protecting my sister. I am in your debt," he said, bowing to the Hylian. A look of surprise flashed across the wolf's face, before settling into a neutral expression.

"Don't worry about it. I only did what anyone would have done."

The Macedonian prince snorted. "Last time I checked, no other member of the League is capable of ripping someone's throat out with their teeth. Few of those present would have been able to do anything to stop them before she was harmed. My declaration stands."

Link gazed at Michalis intently, and nodded once. "Very well. I _will_ hold you to that."

"I would be disappointed if you did otherwise." Marth cleared his throat, drawing the attention of both of them.

"Are any of the assassins alive?" Link nodded in response, and indicated the survivor. "Good. They will be held and questioned. Navarre!" he shouted over his shoulder. A tall, thin man stepped forward.

"Yes?"

"Secure the one who is alive, and dispose of the other's bodies, would you?" The former mercenary bowed gracefully.

"It shall be done." With that, the swordmaster motioned to several people who were apparently on the Council, who helped him in his gruesome task. The rest of them gradually dispersed.

The great commander of the League turned to Minerva. "My apologies, Lady, but I believe it would be best if you used another tent tonight."

She smiled gently. "I cannot disagree, Marth. However, there is the question of whose."

Tiki spoke up. "Lin-lin says that you could have his." All eyes turned to the wolf, who looked back at them serenely. "He says he doesn't need it, so you might as well make use of it."

The crimson-haired princess smiled at Link and nodded. "Thank you."

Suddenly, a growling could be heard from his stomach. He had the grace to adopt a sheepish expression. She laughed. "I trust that breakfast is not too much to ask for before we must leave, Marth?"

Caeda, who had to this point stood silently at the Altean's side, stepped forward slightly. "I think we can arrange for that, Minerva. In the meantime, you'll need to be getting dressed. We will let you do so in peace." As she pulled a bemused Marth out of the tent, she said over her shoulder "Send Link when you are ready to eat, and someone will be sent with food." Michalis cleared his throat.

"I'll be outside the tent. Come, Tiki."

Just before she left the tent, Tiki looked back in apparent confusion. "But if Lin-lin's allowed to stay, why can't I?" Michalis's response was inaudible, as they moved slightly away from the tent. The two of them were left alone. Link sat there, looking at a fly buzzing around the tent. Finally, Minerva "coughed".

"Well, are you going to turn around and give me some privacy, or what?" At that, the lupine hero tucked his head underneath a rug and whined. She laughed. "I suppose that works just as well." She swung herself out of the bed, and proceeded to get dressed. She pulled on a tunic and breeches, both of them cut to allow for the fact that the wearer was a young woman. To secure the breeches, she used a brown leather belt. On the upper right-hand side of the tunic, there was an emblem that seemed to be a white pegasus wing.

She looked over at what she could see of Link, and could not restrain her laughter at the sight. "Okay, Link! You can come out now." At that, he quickly pulled his head out from underneath the thick carpet, a wolfish grin on his face. His tail was wagging furiously.

"Let's go get something to eat. I want to stretch my legs," the Macedonian princess said as she walked toward the tent entrance. He quickly moved up alongside her. They exited the tent to witness the camp in a frenzy. Everyone was trying to make sure that they were ready to go, since once they had eaten breakfast they would need to start moving. They approached the part of the encampment that was specifically set aside for eating. Marth was there, Caeda at his side. Michalis, Tiki, Maria, and the Whitewing sisters were sitting together. A few other people were present.

Minerva walked over to where her siblings were sitting. Palla, the eldest of the Whitewings, saw their commander approaching. She broke off the conversation she was having with Michalis, and stood.

"Commander!" she saluted, bringing her right fist up to her left shoulder with a clang, as she was already in her armor. "Should you be out of bed?" Minerva waved aside her subordinate's concerns as she sat down.

"I'm not an invalid, Palla. I'll be fine." The young pegasus knight started to respond, but was cut off. "Palla, if I didn't feel up to walking around, I wouldn't be doing so. Alright?"

She stared at her commander for a moment, then sat down with a nod. "Very well, Commander." She resumed her debate with Michalis. At that point, food was brought out to Minerva and Link. For Minerva, there were sausages, some griddle cakes, and a cup of cider. She thanked the young girl who brought the food out, then began to eat. A piece of raw meat was set in front of the canine. He wagged his tail as he quickly dug in.

Maria and the two younger Whitewings were discussing the latest gossip. The young cleric's gaze kept drifting in Link's direction, though. Finally, he sat upright and growled softly. Tiki rapidly translated.

"Lin-lin wants to know why you keep on staring at him. It's making it difficult for him to enjoy his breakfast." At that, Maria's eyes widened.

"M-my apologies! It's just, well…" Minerva looked at her little sister with a raised eyebrow. Everyone else at the table stopped what they were doing and turned towards the little red-head as well. She blushed at the scrutiny. "Why does he have that chain around his forepaw?"

Minerva looked at Link, who nodded, then back at her sister. "The very first time that he was turned into a wolf, he was chained to the floor. The person who released him could not remove the cuff itself, at least not without the possibility of injuring him. Why do you ask?"

Maria shivered. "It just seems to be giving off an aura of…wrongness. It's not any natural metal, I can sense that from here. I think we ought to have Bishop Boah take a look at it."

Link whined as he looked at Minerva. Tiki translated, "Can it wait until after breakfast? Please?" At that, there was a round of general laughter, as Minerva nodded assent.

* * *

Marth gazed over at the source of the noise. "I wonder what it is they find so amusing. We are preparing to march straight into the enemy's gaping maw." Caeda looked at him and sighed.

"Marth, don't begrudge them their mirth. I, for one, would rather they laugh then cry."

The Altean prince grimaced. "That doesn't make it any less irritating." Across the clearing, the lupine Link laid his head in Minerva's lap, tail wagging. Caeda laughed.

She leaned towards him, keeping her voice low. "Look at the two of them, Marth. Don't they look so cute together?" Marth grunted. She looked over at him as her face fell. "Oh, come on, Marth. Smile! Please?" He turned his head in her direction, more than a little surprised by her request. He eyes widened as he realized that their heads were just inches apart. She was looking back at him, the same surprise clearly showing on her beautiful face.

Without even considering what he was doing, Marth brought his hand up behind Caeda's head, and pulled her towards him. She had just enough time to say "Marth, what are you…" before their lips came together. The kiss only lasted a few moments, but for those scant seconds, both of them felt like there was lightning passing between them. Suddenly, he pulled back, taking his hand from her head as he stood up.

She gazed at him. "Marth, what…" she managed to choke out.

His eyes, which just moments ago had been full of life, now looked as cold as sapphires. "My apologies, Princess Caeda," he bit out. With that, he walked off, leaving a very confused and blushing princess behind.

"_Did he just…__**kiss**__ me?_" Her dazed mind considered for a moment. "_Yes. Yes he did. But why did he pull away like that? I'll have to ask Minerva later. She has more experience with this sort of thing than me, I'll bet._" She slowly got up and left the clearing, still dumbfounded by what had just happened.

* * *

Of course, none of this went unnoticed. Even though he was clear across the dining area, Link heard enough of the two royals' conversation to understand they were talking about Minerva and himself. He shifted his head in her lap so he could see them clearly. Just as he did so, he witnessed the kiss. His eyes went wide, but before he could howl, Minerva stood up.

"Okay, Link. Let's go see Boah and get his opinion about that piece of metal." He wagged his tail in agreement. As the group walked off, the Hylian caught one last glimpse of Caeda looking after Marth in obvious confusion.

* * *

They found Boah talking to Princess Nyna. The Archanean royal noticed them first. "Ah, Minerva! To what do we owe the pleasure?"

Minerva replied, "We wanted the good bishop's opinion about the chain on Link's forelimb." Nyna gestured for Boah to examine it.

The older man nodded. "Very well, just give me a moment." He started murmuring a prayer under his breath. As he continued, a soft, golden glow appeared about his hands. Once he was done, he turned his hands towards the chain. Almost immediately, though, the glow dissipated, leaving the bishop trembling.

All of them rushed to help him, but Boah waved them back. "I am fine. However, he" the elder man gestured in Link's direction "is not. That chain is preventing some divine force from reverting him to normal."

Link whined. "He carries the Triforce of Courage, an extremely powerful holy relic from Hyrule."

Boah nodded. "That would explain it."

Minerva asked, "So how do we remove the chain?"

"Well, simply material force won't work. It would take a concentration of holy energy, of great magnitude." At that, everyone looked at Tiki.

"What? Why are you all staring at me?"

* * *

A few minutes later, after they had explained to the divine dragon what was needed, she transformed into her dragon form outside the tent. Link stood before her. She reached down, and with a single claw, cautiously cut the cuff. It went through like a hot knife through butter.

As the pieces of "metal" fell to the sides, Link started to metamorphose. His form was covered in utter darkness for a moment, then his silhouette shifted upwards.

Before anyone could speak a word, the Hylian stood before them in his natural shape. They all gazed at him. He looked around, seemingly checking that he was all human(ish) again. Finally, he opened his mouth.

"When's lunch?"

* * *

Me: Hahahaha! Sorry, just couldn't resist that last line. Jas?

Jas: Shadowreploid does not own anything at all in this story, except the plot and the occasional OC. Read and review, please. Anonymous reviews are always welcome.

Me: This is Shadowreploid, signing out. Don't forget to keep your stick on the ice.


	6. Apology

A/N: Hey, everybody. I've got some bad news. Where to start? (And yes, I know that you're not supposed to use an author's note for a chapter, but I feel bad just leaving everyone out in the cold.)

I guess at the beginning. For the moment, Wayward Warrior is going to have to go on hiatus. I haven't quit writing for it, but, well…it feels like I'm trying to destroy Mount Everest with nothing but a spoon. There's just this massive _wall_ in my head, and trying to squeeze anything past it hurts like hell. Now, this wouldn't be so bad, if it hadn't been going on for about _four-and-a-half months_ at this point. I refuse to give up on this story (I have way too much awesome stuff planned to do THAT!), but I don't know how long it's going to be before I can update with a proper chapter again. So, I'm sorry, people, I really am. This hurts, you know. It really _hurts_. I don't want to do this, but I feel that I should be honest with you all, and myself. And the honest truth is, right now I'm going nowhere fast with this. Don't give up on Link and me, please. He's still got a long journey ahead of him. And I intend to get him through. Thanks. Best wishes to all of you. This is Shadowreploid, signing out. Don't forget to keep your stick on the ice.


End file.
